Jamaica

Overview

Jamaica is an island nation in the Caribbean that attracts sunseekers for its laid-back beach culture, and music fans on the trail of Jamaica's most famous son, reggae legend Bob Marley. Tourists flock to the island's northern coast, including the communities of Montego Bay , Ocho Rios , and Port Antonio , and in Negril on the island's western tip. Dynamic in its African heritage, Jamaica offers a lively atmosphere in its tropical feel.

With 2.8 million people, Jamaica is the third most populous Anglophone country in the Americas, after the United States and Canada. Like Canada , New Zealand and Australia , Jamaica is a Commonwealth realm (the British monarch is the head of state), but it is an independent sovereign nation.

Christopher Columbus claimed Jamaica for Spain after landing there in 1494. Columbus' probable landing point was Dry Harbour, now called Discovery Bay. St. Ann's Bay was the "Saint Gloria" of Columbus who first sighted Jamaica at this point. The Spanish were forcibly evicted by the British at Ocho Rios in St. Ann and in 1655 the British took over the last Spanish fort in Jamaica. The Spanish colonists fled leaving a large number of African slaves. Rather than be re-enslaved by the English, they escaped into the hilly, mountainous regions of the island, joining those who had previously escaped from the Spanish to live with the Taínos. These runaway slaves, who became known as the Jamaican Maroons, fought the British during the 18th century. During the long years of slavery Maroons established free communities in the mountainous interior of Jamaica, maintaining their freedom and independence for generations.

During its first 200 years of British rule, Jamaica became one of the world's leading sugar-exporting, slave-dependent nations. After the abolition of the slave trade in 1807, the British imported Indian and Chinese workers as indentured servants to supplement the labour pool. Descendants of indentured servants of Indian and Chinese origin continue to reside in Jamaica.

Experiences

Dunn's River Falls is a must see and do if visiting Jamaica. It is located in Ocho Rios. The 600 ft (180 m) cascading falls are gorgeous. You can actually climb right up the falls. It’s an amazing experience! Give it a try if you're up for a breathtaking challenge.

Mystic Mountain has a bob-sledding ride combined with options for zip-lining, a water slide and an aerial tram. The aerial tram is slower method to learn about the rainforest canopy.

Over the past several decades, with the rapid growth of the tourism industry, "hotel marriages" have become a significant contributor to the total number of marriages occurring in the island.

The most popular spectator sports in Jamaica are football (soccer) and cricket . Jamaica is also one of the top performers in the sprint events in athletics at the Olympics. Netball is the most popular women's sport, and Jamaica is one of powerhouses in international netball. Jamaica is home to the Sabina Park cricket ground in Kingston. It is home to the Jamaica Kings in the Caribbean Premier League.

Culture and food

Another local food is called bammy , which was actually invented by the Arawak (Taino) Indigenous peoples. It is a flat floury cassava pancake normally eaten during breakfast hours that kind of tastes like corn bread. There is also hard-dough bread (locally called hard dough bread), which comes in both sliced and unsliced varieties. Try toasting it, for when it is toasted, it tastes better than most bread you'll ever eat. If you are looking for dishes with more meat in them, you can try the jerk flavoured foods. The most popular is jerk chicken , although jerk pork and jerk conch are also common. The jerk seasoning is a spice that is spread on the meat on the grill like barbecue sauce. Keep in mind that most Jamaicans eat their food well done, so expect the food to be a bit drier than you are accustomed to. There are also curries such as curried chicken and curried goat which are very popular in Jamaica. The best curried goat is made with male goats and if you see a menu with curried fish, try it.

Sights and landscapes

Jamaica is the third-largest island in the Caribbean. It lies between latitudes 17° and 19°N , and longitudes 76° and 79°W . Mountains dominate the interior: the Don Figuerero, Santa Cruz, and May Day mountains in the west, the Dry Harbour Mountains in the centre, and the John Crow Mountains and Blue Mountains in the east, the latter containing Blue Mountain Peak , Jamaica's tallest mountain at 2,256 m. They are surrounded by a narrow coastal plain.

Jamaica has two major cities, the first being Kingston , the capital city and centre of business and located on the south coast, and the second being Montego Bay , one of the best known cities in the Caribbean for tourism, located on the north coast. Kingston Harbour is the seventh-largest natural harbour in the world, which contributed to the city being designated as the capital in 1872.

Among the variety of terrestrial, aquatic and marine ecosystems are dry and wet limestone forests, rainforest, riparian woodland, wetlands, caves, rivers, seagrass beds and coral reefs. The authorities have recognised the tremendous significance and potential of the environment and have designated some of the more "fertile" areas as "protected". Among the island's protected areas are the Cockpit Country , Hellshire Hills , and Litchfield forest reserves. In 1992, Jamaica's first marine park, covering nearly 15 square kilometres (5.8 sq mi), was established in Montego Bay . Portland Bight Protected Area was designated in 1999. In 1993, Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park was created, covering roughly 300 square miles (780 km 2 ) of a wilderness area which supports thousands of tree and fern species and rare animals.

Travel guide text compiled and adapted from Wikivoyage article (contributors) and Wikipedia article (contributors). Sections were selected and reordered for this guide. Text is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Check current arrangements with your travel consultant.